diff --git a/libs/components/src/multi-select/multi-select.component.ts b/libs/components/src/multi-select/multi-select.component.ts
index 42d53445d60..b0a2cf613b6 100644
--- a/libs/components/src/multi-select/multi-select.component.ts
+++ b/libs/components/src/multi-select/multi-select.component.ts
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ export class MultiSelectComponent implements OnInit, BitFormFieldControl, Contro
   @Input() disabled = false;
 
   // Internal tracking of selected items
-  @Input() selectedItems: SelectItemView[];
+  protected selectedItems: SelectItemView[];
 
   // Default values for our implementation
   loadingText: string;